SRRC - Salmon River Spring Chinook Cooperative Dives

2024 Salmon River Fish Dive

Diving the Salmon River. Photo by Mikal Jakubal.

The annual Salmon River Spring Chinook Cooperative Dive will be held on July 23-24, 2024 in Forks of Salmon.

Together, 80 trained divers will swim and count every spring Chinook and summer steelhead in the Salmon River, its forks, and key tributaries. This event can be fun while providing critical information on the health of the river's fishery and trends in salmon populations.

Advance registration is required for all participants. Click here to register.

Event Dates & Location

Dive training & check-in: July 23 (Tuesday)
Dive day: July 24 (Wednesday)

Location: Forks of Salmon, California [event map]

See the 2024 Salmon River Fish Dive Facebook event page for updates and to share your photos from the dive.

Fish Dive Registration

All participants are required to register in advance. Registration will be open until July 19th, or until the diver ceiling is reached. Your response is very important for planning and logistical purposes. There is a limit of 80 divers, so please register early to ensure your spot. There is no registration fee or cost to participate.

If you are registering as a group, please complete the online form for each individual participating so we can plan meals and track volunteers. Finally, if you are familiar with survey area, please identify your preferred reach(es) when you register. We will be pre-assigning reaches. If you have been a crew leader in the past, please select crew leader as your skill level.

Daily Schedule

All first year divers are required to participate in the whitewater safety and fish identification training (state and federal government employees are exempted). Please bring your own lunch.

This year we will be hosting presentations on spring Chinook and related topics after dinner both nights. This mini-symposium will include presentations on Salmon River spring Chinooks genetics and distribution, Klamath dam removal and reintroduction to the upper basin, and SF Trinity spring Chinook.

Training Day: July 23 (Tuesday)

10 am: Meet at Forks of Salmon Community Club
10:30 am: Fish identification class
Noon: Lunch & gear sign-out
1 pm: Whitewater safety review
1:30 - 4 pm: Hands-on training session
5 pm: Dinner outside the Forks of Salmon Elementary School

Fish Dive: July 24 (Wednesday)

7 am: Breakfast outside the Forks of Salmon Elementary School
8 am: Safety meeting at Forks of Salmon Community Club
8:30 am: Dives begin
5 pm: All divers must return to Forks of Salmon School and check-in by 5 pm
6 pm: Dinner outside the Forks of Salmon Elementary School

Meals

SRRC will be providing dinners for the registered participants of the fish dives on Tuesday and Wednesday plus a breakfast bar on Wednesday. Please indicate which meals you will be attending when you register. To reduce waste, please consider bringing your own eating utensils to dinner and breakfast meals.

Lunches are not provided; it is up to dive participants to bring their own lunches for each day.

Dive Gear

Divers are encouraged to bring their own dive gear. SRRC and the Klamath National Forest will have a very limited supply available for volunteers and there will be a sterilization bath available for mask & snorkels. Dive gear: Wetsuit, felt-bottom wading boots, booties or thick socks for inside wading boots, mask and snorkel. Also bring: Swimsuit for under wetsuit (plus dry clothes to change into), a daypack for your lunch (mesh or waterproof is best), water bottle, waterproof sunscreen, hat, camera, food for lunches and snacks. You will be hiking, wading and swimming in your reach.

Camping

Free camping for fish dive participants is provided at Nordheimer Campground, located four miles downriver from Forks of Salmon. The campground has toilets, trash cans, a phone, but no potable water.

What to Bring

Dive gear, see above.
Bring a waterproof container for your lunch.
Water bottle, mug, waterproof sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, camera...
Camping gear and potable water if you plan to camp out.
Food for lunch on dive days and any other food you may want beyond the three provided meals.
To reduce waste, please consider bringing your own reusable utensils to the provided meals.

Weather and Flows

As the event approaches, be sure to check out the latest Salmon River Weather & Flows, provided by SRRC. Expect warm to hot weather with river temperatures in the upper 60s to mid 70s Fahrenheit.

Due to an excellent snowpack, there is the possibility that river flows will continue to be elevated into mid-summer compared to recent years. While this situation will allow for less walking, there is also the potential for higher flows to create challenging conditions, especially for novice surveyors. If it appears that flows persist at too-high levels, the event may be postponed to early-August, likely Wednesday, August 2nd. If this occurs, participants will be informed as soon as possible.

Questions?

Please call or email Miranda Velarde at SRRC (530-462-4665 or miranda@srrc.org) if you have questions, need additional information, or need assistance with registration for the fish dive.